It is important to understand that a cat is not a cute fluffy toy, but a creature that considers itself at least an equal member of your family. When purchasing a Scottish fold cat, you should have a more or less clear understanding of the rules and principles of raising your pet. You need to teach your cat to observe the rules of decency from a very early age, as soon as the baby appears in your home. Considering the natural intelligence of Scottish Folds, this will not be so difficult.
No - brute force
First you need to figure out how Scottish kittens behave and why. Each behavior has its own logical explanation. Therefore, there is no need to immediately, headlong, rush to punish for the trick. Understand its reasons first.
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If you have had dogs in your house, then you probably know that they need to be raised from a position of strength, showing that you are the leader. Otherwise the dog will not respect you. With a cat, everything is different - raising Scottish fold and straight-eared kittens is different from raising puppies: they do not accept punishment and rudeness, screaming and spanking. There are times when an animal begins to simply ignore a person for rough treatment.
Raising a Scottish Fold or Straight-eared cat should be soft, affectionate, and cunning. For example, many cat owners are faced with the problem that a kitten or even an adult cat walks on the computer keyboard. The author of the article taught his kitten to do this in a completely simple and affectionate way: every time his Scottish cat tried to walk across the keyboard, a barrier was put up with his hands so that the tailed creature would go around. And literally a month later, the cat stopped climbing on the keyboard, and instead walked around it.
Colors of Scottish cats
Scottish cats come in a huge number of colors. They come in brindle, spotted, and marbled. The most popular shade of this breed is red. Scottish cats of this color have good intelligence and are easy to train. This pet has a bright and rich red hue. The color is located evenly throughout the body.
The Scottish cat's paw pads and nose are bright red. These cats have golden or copper colored eyes. In order to find an animal with this color, you need to make a lot of effort, since this shade is rare.
Neat games
But “no brute force” also means that you should not allow the cat to be rude to you. Another tip on how to raise a Scottish Fold and Straight-eared kitten is that if he fights, bites, attacks you, tries to pull your hair, chases your legs under the blanket, this needs to be stopped. But not by force. First, just don't play with your kitten with your bare hands and feet. Secondly, if he attacks himself, you can flick him on the bridge of his nose, but not too hard. Or hiss. The hissing of a mother cat is used as an effective tool against kitten violence. Therefore, they are all afraid of such sounds: this means that the offended party is desperate and is ready to take any measures to protect itself.
Appearance
The Fold cat has gained popularity due to the fact that it has a gentle character and beautiful appearance. The animal has a rounded head and a firm chin. The cat's jaw is powerful, extending into a small neck. The cat has beautiful round eyes, their shade goes well with the coat.
Cats have a short nose, but at the same time wide. If you look at the pet, its profile is streamlined and soft. The cat's ears point forward and are triangular in shape. The tips of the ears are slightly rounded.
The body of the Scottish Fold cat is medium-sized, strong and muscular. The pet does not look like he has extra pounds. The cat has rounded paws. The tail is long or medium in size and proportional to the body. Cats are a little more than cats.
Ban rules
Your home, your rules. The cat should fit into them, and not you adapt to it. Although, of course, this process in practice is always mutual. However, you need to choose what is unacceptable to you and strictly prohibit it. Most often, the list includes walking on the dining table, destroying flowers, tearing furniture, climbing curtains, gnawing on wires, and sometimes lying on the master's bed.
Teaching a cat not to do all this is much more difficult than teaching a cat. In my opinion, it is easier to raise a Scottish male kitten than a girl. Cats are more straightforward, and cats are more cunning. The kitty, if she needs something, will begin to act in roundabout ways, trying to soften the rules. For example, the author’s cat defended her right to walk on the table. Her path to her favorite window sill ran through the table, so it was impossible to completely deny her access; she had to be allowed to be on the table “passing through.” After a few days, she began to linger on the edge of the table, pretending that she had been preparing for a jump for a long time. A few days later she began to sit on the edge of the table with a thoughtful look, pretending that she was not on the table at all. So gradually she taught her family to be normal about her sitting at the table with everyone else. And now the tailed one brazenly lies on the table whenever it wants. The moral is: if your cat forces you to make a small compromise, immediately imagine how it might end. If you are not satisfied with what you presented, stop trying immediately.
How to wean a cat from unwanted behavior? Firstly, at first this behavior must be physically stopped with the words “ugh” or “no”. But don't hit! You can clap your hands and wag your finger. And then, if the pet does not obey, it must be removed from the place where it is causing mischief. In the case of claw sharpening, it must then be moved to the correct place. They do the same if a cat shits in the wrong place.
But if he gets into the habit of climbing on flowers or in undesirable places, then most often he has to put up barricades or move vulnerable objects away. But there is another way. Place something that falls and rattles in the place where you don't want your pet to climb. When he jumps there, the object will fall with a roar, and the cat will get scared. If this happens several times, then perhaps the pet will wean itself from going where it shouldn’t.
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You can also stop unwanted actions with a spray bottle: this way the pet will develop a reflex that the action will be followed by an unpleasant water procedure. Unfortunately, the answer to the question of how to raise a Scottish Fold or straight-eared kitten is sometimes an unpleasant irritant that follows undesirable behavior.
Naughty family friend
Young Scots with a strong temperament are constantly trying to run away somewhere, hardly sit still and are actively exploring the world around them.
Inquisitive furry creatures sniff very carefully at unfamiliar smells, listen to any rustles, frolic with their brothers and sisters for a long time and always try to stir them up.
Playful animals show their hunting instincts at any convenient moment. Such kittens are either trying to catch their tail or hunting for shadows. But in any case, they are the only ones who initiate playful pursuits.
Problems with affection
Scottish cats, despite their plush appearance, do not always like to be held and do not always like to be actively petted. Unfortunately, this problem cannot be solved 100%, because... It's just a character trait that you have to put up with. But you still need to carry out a certain ritual to accustom him to hands.
To do this, in the first days of the kitten’s stay in the house, try not to forcefully pick it up, but only stroke its back and head. Let him understand that hands are nice. And only after a few days try to pick him up, if, of course, he hasn’t come to you before. This way the cat will gradually get used to your hugs.
One more nuance: when you take a Scottish cat in your arms, you need to make sure that its butt, hind and front legs have solid support, otherwise the animal will feel insecure.
Vaccination
Kittens, regardless of breed, must be vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule. Timely vaccination allows you to avoid many serious diseases or at least minimize their consequences. Vaccination is carried out a week after treatment against worms.
Reference!
Any vaccination is carried out subject to the animal’s complete health. The dose and drug are prescribed only by a veterinarian.
Let me enjoy it to your heart's content
Behavioral problems such as chewing plants, tearing off wallpaper, sharpening their claws on everything are not very difficult to eliminate. Firstly, the cat should be given the opportunity to sharpen its claws in a designated area, and to prevent it from gnawing on plants, a private lawn of grass should be planted. If your cat sharpens his teeth on everything he comes across, buy special “chews” for cats (sticks, toys) - perhaps he’s just teething.
And sometimes your kitty just wants to act crazy. Give him this opportunity! For example, the author of the article periodically buys a salad with roots in the ground at the supermarket and, when there is almost nothing left of it, throws it to the pet - and he begins to chase this lump of earth with grass throughout the kitchen: it is clear that real happiness has come to the cat. Think: maybe it’s better to let him chase something forbidden around the kitchen and play to his heart’s content, but then not eat your flowers?
Health
Scottish cats have a genetic predisposition to various diseases. This may not occur in all animals, but it is important to be aware of what problems a future owner may face. Thus, fold-eared cats are predisposed to diseases that are associated with the skeleton. Osteochondrodysplasia, which is inherited, is not excluded. This disease causes skeletal deformation, impaired movement and problems with the tail. The disease can develop in both a kitten and an adult.
The following signs of pathology are observed:
- lameness;
- stiff gait;
- avoidance of jumping;
- touching the cat's tail hurts;
- the animal walks squat.
Scottish cats are prone to heart disease. If you get vaccinated and visit your doctor regularly, preventive measures can improve your pet's life. On average, this breed lives from 10 to 15 years.
Talkative pet
A separate article will be devoted to this problem on our website, but for now let’s say: if your pet is healthy and talks all the time, it’s not scary, he just might be a talker. There are some cats who comment on literally everything. But there are those who constantly manipulate you with their “meow”. In this case, you need to understand that they are doing this only because the technique works. If you basically ignore the kitty's cries, then she will understand that you can shut up, because... this will not have the desired effect on the owner. Of course, before you start ignoring, you need to find out if the cat is in pain: sometimes, by meowing, the pet tries to draw your attention to some problem.
A common problem is when a cat yells in the morning to wake up the owner. Most often this happens because he wants to eat. It is easy to wean your pet from this behavior. Firstly, don’t fall for his persuasion either, and secondly, don’t feed him immediately after you wake up. It's better to feed before going to work. Then the cat will not associate the owner’s awakening with food and will not wake him up.
Nutrition
In order for food to benefit the cat, you will need to follow some rules. First of all, there should be a balanced diet. As a rule, Scottish cats eat dry, wet food or eat natural food. The food should be of high quality and with a normal dosage of meat.
It is prohibited to mix natural food and feed at one time. It is allowed to give meat products, cereals and vegetables together.
The Scottish Fold cat needs to be given protein food. It is best to feed the animal low-fat meat products, fish, and dairy products.
When a kitten grows up, it must receive all the necessary fats; they are found in egg yolks and butter. The pet should eat on average 2-3 times a day in small portions. It is not recommended to feed a fold-eared cat in large quantities, as overeating can lead to obesity.
Don't forget about games
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Sometimes a pet's overly intrusive, loud or gangster behavior is the result of boredom and unspent energy. Therefore, for a cat, there must be interactive toys and gaming complexes in the house: let him throw out all the crap while playing, instead of bothering the family. If you don’t have the money or space to install the complex and buy large toys, you can buy a regular tennis ball.
Balanced and calm family member
If you need to get a non-capricious and balanced kitten who will not constantly jump and regularly demand attention, you need to take a closer look at the babies who sit apart in the basket. Usually such kids do not participate in the fun of others, and if they are drawn into the game, then the kittens join in without much enthusiasm.
Balanced kids love to sleep and spend a lot of time alone. If they begin to explore the surrounding space, they do it alone.
There is even a pattern by which you can identify a calm, straight-eared Scottish cat. The character and habits of such a baby will be distinguished by calmness and balance in its external and internal manifestations. The kitten carefully touches various objects with its paw, does not strive to constantly be the center of attention and does not involve other pets in its explorations.
Such an animal gets very used to its owners and becomes a family favorite. Usually these cats are immersed in themselves and try to somewhat isolate themselves from others.
Love a cat
If you truly love your pet, you will never allow him to do anything that is harmful to him, you will never hit him, you will not forbid him to sleep next to you and do the like. And most importantly, you will not artificially limit his freedom, for example, by excessive caresses. The cat, in turn, always feels that he is loved and respected.
And cat love is designed in such a way that love will not arise for those whom the cat does not trust. Therefore, first of all, earn the trust of your pet. But if you already see that the cat loves and trusts you, rest assured: this is not an act, because cats do not know how to portray such emotions. Any others know how (for example, resentment), but love does not.
Do you have your own tips for raising a Scottish cat? Or, on the contrary, you are confused and don’t know what to do with the problem. Share this in the comments.
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Character
The Scottish cat has a slightly playful character, kindness and calmness. This breed becomes strongly attached to its owner and is good friends with other pets and small children. The main advantage of the Scottish cat is silence; they rarely meow and are very quiet.
This breed will be ideal for a person who leads a quiet life without fuss. Small lop-eared kittens may behave badly as children, but do not cause damage to the home. Animals love to hide various small objects. These cats love cleanliness very much, they are quite smart.
Adult cats are affectionate, calm and understand everything well. They know how to obey if it is in their interests. They can be stubborn if they don't want to do something. This breed loves to be friends with people; cats choose their leader and are constantly with him. Animals are very loyal, but never impose themselves. They love to lie near their owner, but not in a person's arms.
Most owners say that this breed is considered an ideal pet, as it does not harm and is well-bred. Externally, cats are cute, beautiful and gentle, they will not leave anyone indifferent. The character of the Scottish cat itself is good and harmless.
What foods should not be given to fold-eared kittens?
Sugar, chocolate, candy, cakes and everything sweet disrupts metabolism, weakens the immune system, dulls the coat, and causes dental disease. Chocolate contains theobromine, and for cats it is a poison; it causes severe poisoning, including the death of the animal.
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Presence of other animals in the family
Scottish Straights often look down on other pets. However, if they were brought up with such people from childhood, then such an attitude does not arise. When a kitten ends up in a home inhabited by other animals, the owners can rest assured of a positive outcome. The baby will definitely get along not only with his relatives, but also with birds, tame rodents and even dogs.
The character of the Scottish straight-eared cat, who grew up in the same house with dogs, is distinguished by mischief and cheerfulness. These animals are cheerful, agile and very attached to their owner.
But living in the same house with felines, the Scots can become overly jealous. In this case, they become attached to cats more than to members of the household and the owner.
